Upcoming Events

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I will be giving some talks in near future. I am fortunate to have been asked to be a featured speaker at the Thunder Bay Young Professionals Network this coming Thursday, January 20th at the Sports Dome. I will be talking about the role of strength and conditioning in healthy living. If you are interested in attending the event, check out the facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146324962088270

Into February, I will be a guest speaker for the Metre Eaters Running Club and will be giving a talk on Injury Prevention and Strength Training for Running Performance. This talk will be on February 9th at the Canada Games Complex at 7-9pm. If you are in the club, I look forward to seeing you there!

Lastly, I will giving a talk on Core Stability, Strength Training, and Kettlebell Training for the Aging Individual at the Thunder Bay 55+ Center on February 9th from 11am-12pm.

Just a reminder that February marks the beginning of the 2011 group classes that Hemsworth Strength and Wellness is offering. Both Lift Strong and Building a Strong Foundation classes are now open for registration at www.hemsworthstrength.com!

The CULTure of Yoga

Like so many facets of our society, yoga seems to have gone from something that only tree-hugging hippies did to a mainstream answer to all of life’s problems. Where yoga studios used to be one per city, now they line the streets in every shape and size from industrial buildings to apartment flats. We've seen this in other current issues such as alternative energy sources, local and organic food, and fuel efficient cars. Those hippies were onto something weren't they?

Now, obviously yoga didn't get its roots from North American hippies, but that is what we associate it with. Yoga can be traced back to ancient Indian texts, the Vedas, written in Sanskrit to describe both the technique and literature of yoga. Patanjali, the Indian sage, has been referenced in many texts as describing yogic philosophy some 2000 years ago in his work, The Yoga Sutras (Carrico, 1997; Farhi, 2000).

Whenever I do something new, I always try to look at its roots to figure out why something was developed in the first place. Whether its weight lifting, music, or yoga, I try to look back at some of the true pioneers to understand what it was that made them create this new form or genre. All yoga texts will define it differently, but essentially to me yoga is a practice merging the physical asanas, or postures, with the mindfulness, awareness, and internalization of meditation. In fact, I see yoga as one form of meditation. Now, everyone has their motivations and reasons for practicing, or more appropriately now, doing yoga, but from what I have read and heard, the asanas are just a small part of yoga. As Donna Farhi writes, “Form is what the Western mind could understand, and so it was the forms of the yoga that were emphasized. In an effort to popularize yoga the more essential spiritual message of the practice has been pared away and oftentimes completely eliminated”.

Thus, the issue I have with yoga is not the traditional practice and philosophy, but its cultish popularity and one-stop-shop from everything from back pain to depression. Yoga, as we know it today, is a fad. The question is, is this a bad thing? Well, it depends on how you look at it. It is hard to argue with something that has taken a sedentary and terrifyingly overweight society and got them moving. After all, just the act of getting people to make less of an ass groove in the sofa deserves credit. However, when you start something new you have to ask yourself, “why am I doing this”. And, it seems to me that more of us are taking up yoga for the wrong reasons.

I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly start doing yoga for the reasons I do it today: To quiet my mind, release stress, and become more spiritual. I started because I was stiff. Now, as a strength coach, I do apply a lot of mobility work that mirrors yoga and was probably borrowed from yoga. But still, I thought that something that I could attend regularly and didn't have to think about too much would help me maintain some joint mobility.

The concerns that I have with the resurgence of yoga is that with popularity has come a combination of poorly applied information and the mentality that yoga is for everyone... all the time. In fact, from talking to physiotherapists and chiropractors, the people they see most often in their clinics are not the beginner yogi, but the person who goes to yoga everyday and is labelled “good” at yoga. You know the one – they can wrap both legs around their head while arching their back into a shape resembling an archery bow. These “uber-mobile” yoginis (mainly female) are being told that they should push further and further into the “ideal” yoga asana. The problem is they have no stability and far too often over-stretch. So, although they appear to be in great physical shape, they are actually putting themselves at risk of injury. The body needs a combination of mobility and stability and it is entirely dependent upon body type, musculo-skeletal restrictions, tissue tolerances and the specific activities that you do on a daily basis as to how much mobility/stability is needed. Each muscle has an ideal force vs. length curve; basically meaning that each muscle has an ideal length that it can function optimally at. If we continue to overstretch and “lengthen” the body without developing the strength and stability needed withstand the forces of both life and sport, injury is most definitely lurking in the yoga studio background.

As you’ve heard me say before, it depends on the practitioner. Like any practice, I've seen yoga teachers who know the body inside and out, realizing everyone has limits and not trying to force them beyond these limits. Unfortunately, I've also seen many yoga instructors who are in my mind, under-qualified and do not have enough knowledge of the human body to be prescribing certain postures to everyone. So, if you are someone who resembles the description that I gave above, understand that you need to balance a lot of the mobility work that you are doing in yoga class with strength and stability in order to have a strong, healthy body. Yoga is a great practice when applied properly. Understand its limitations and see it as one piece of your very important health puzzle.

References

Carrico, M. (1997). Yoga Journal’s Basics: The essential beginners guide to yoga for a lifetime of health and fitness. Holt Paperbacks.

Farhi, D. (2000). Yoga mind, body, and spirit: A return to wholeness. Owl Books.

Guest Blog from Neghar Fonooni.

This week, I am honoured to have a guest blog from Neghar Fonooni, an RKC level 2 from Baltimore, Maryland. There has always been an assumption that women need to lift light weights in order to "tone" their muscles. Neghar has written a great blog that shows that strong women are sexy, and that to get strong and lean, you must lift heavy weights.

Neghar's article can be found on her blog page (www.neghar@blogspot.com) but I've also copied it below. Enjoy!

Strong is Sexy

Recently a very good friend of mine decided she might pick up kettlebell training to

battle the onset of body fat that she has finally chosen to face. She asked me for

advice on how to begin, because I am an RKC II and a Performance Training

Specialist-and I just plain like to lift heavy things. "What size kettlebell should I

start with?", she asked. The choice was between 7 pounds or 10 pounds. Bless her

heart, but I had to chuckle. My four year old son could train with a 7 pound kettlebell!

It's not her fault though-she'd always been told to "lift light".

This is yet another example of the common misconceptions of strength training as

it relates to females. We are under the impression that we should lift tiny pink weights

in order to get "toned" or we shouldn't lift weights at all and we should stick to yoga or

pilates for "long, lean muscles". Don't get me wrong, yoga is GREAT for so many reasons,

but it won't get you the body you want and it won't get you crazy strong. Unfortunately

though, an alarmingly large percentage of women think if they lift heavy weights they

will get "big" or "bulky".

I'm here to tell you that is complete BS. I am extremely passionate on the subject of

women and strength training because once upon time I was a girl with a lot of these

common misconceptions, training inefficiently and nowhere near maximizing my athletic

or aesthetic potential. Now, not only do I maintain 13-14% body fat and an athletic

physique, but I have accomplished things with my body that I never even imagined.

Such as: deadlifting 250 pounds, strict pullups witha 16kg kettlebell, pistols with a 24kg

kettlebell, single leg deadlifting 135 pounds and snatching a 60 pound dumbbell-all at

123 pounds body weight. Those examples are not intended to brag or boast by any means,

but rather to drive home the point that ANYTHING is possible. If I can do it-anyone can.

Lifting heavy (heavy is relative) and training intelligently hard, as well as maintaining a

strict nutritional lifestyle is what gave me the body I have today. When I used selectorized

machines, practiced yoga 3-4 times per week, attended "cardio kickboxing" classes, or

went for 2-5 mile runs I DID NOT have this body. Nor did I have the sense of accomplishment

and intrinsic strength that I have today. I gained 50 pounds when I was pregnant with my

son, and didn't understand why considering I was "working out" on the elliptical machine

and doing leg presses. I haven't touched an elliptical machine in years, and I have NEVER

been happier with my body. Did I mention I was passionate about this?

So why is the notion that women need to lift light to get "toned" and avoid "getting big"

complete BS? Well, allow me to enlighten you.

First of all, testosterone is the key factor in the growth of muscle mass. Women simply

don't have enough testosterone to get huge, unless they ingest it purposely. Do you take

testosterone? Chances are you don't (I hope). So I don't want to hear any hogwash about

getting big or bulky (and yes, I just said "hogwash"). If you train hard and eat to fuel

your body, you will gain lean mass and lose body fat. You will look like you workout.

Your muscles will "show" and you will appear strong and fit. You will not look like a man

because you are not a man. Furthermore, strong is the new skinny-haven't you heard?

Strong women are sexy, not just because their bodies look amazing, but because they

exude confidence.

Secondly, there is no such thing as "toned". This is a fluff term created by the media

to sell misleading fitness magazines. Actual "muscle tone" is something completely

different all together and has nothing to do with the appearance of the muscle. You

are either strong or you are weak, fit or unfit, lean or fat. Again, if you train hard and

eat to fuel your body you will gain lean mass and lose body fat. Did you see the word

"toned" in there anywhere? No, because it's not real. Change your mindset to train for

strength and power and you will get your "toned" muscles. Train for "toned" muscles

and you will end up with a smaller version of your previous fat self.

Train with purpose and intent and not only will you gain a better body but you will

gain a stronger, more secure sense of self. That's worth more than any SELF or SHAPE

magazine could ever offer.

Thirdly, the only way to get stronger is by progressively increased resistance or demand.

When you lift tiny pink dumbbells, swing around child-sized kettlebells or spend hours

taking "Zumba", you don't progressively increase resistance or the demand placed on

the body. You waste time, and we all know time is at a premium. When you lift weights

that challenge you, and gradually increase that load, you get stronger. Getting stronger

is the key to a better body. AGAIN: More lean mass=increased metabolism. Increased

metabolism+proper nutrition=less body fat.

To add to this point, why would you ever lift a 5 pound dumbbell? What good could that

possibly do for you? Think about it, when have you ever needed help lifting something

5 pounds or less? My four year old son weighs 40 pounds! How am I supposed to lift him

comfortably and safely by training with little to no resistance? How can I insure I won't

injure my back moving heavy furniture if I can't even deadlift my body weight? Listen,

ladies, it's not your fault. The media has lied to you. They've told you that you need only

lift soup cans or wiggle your hips around to get the body you have always desired-both

inside and out. They've encouraged you to walk and "spin" as a means for burning body

fat and to do Pilates to "lengthen" your muscles. They lied. They will always lie, because

it's what people need to do to make money. People with no integrity, or people who

simply don't know better. So, of course, it's not your fault-you were deceptively

misinformed. But, you have an opportunity now to see the light. Please don't let me

rant in vain! :-)

Lastly and possibly most importantly, gaining physical strength directly translates to

gaining mental and emotional strength, confidence and self esteem. You don't need

to be a card carrying psychologist to surmise that women could use a little more self

worth and security, and a lot more positivity when it comes to our body image. And

strong feels good.

For the sake of females world wide, put down the tiny dumbbells, step away from

the SHAPE magazine, and pick up something that you can't lift more than 10 times

with perfect form. Pick up a copy of "Core Performance Women" by Mark Verstegen,

or "The Female Body Breakthrough" by Rachel Cosgrove. Even better yet, look up

your local RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor), and find out what you're

really capable of. Because you're stronger than you think, and your lean, athletic

body is waiting to meet you.

Don't believe me? The following ladies are all proud members of the RKC instructor

cadre. Notice what we all have in common? Bangin' bodies. Know what we do? Lift

heavy stuff. And most of us are moms. 'Nuff said.

Myself and my friend and long time client, Jamie

Yoana Snideman, RKC TL of Revolution Fitness

Karen Smith, RKC II of Kettlebell Elite

Betsy Collie, RKC TL of Rapid Results Fitness

Delaine Ross, RKC TL of Gym Condition

Lauren Brooks, RKC TL of On the Edge Fitness